BIOGRAPHY
Mark Melancon was born March 28, 1985, in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. He is a pitcher in the MLB.
Melancon was drafted by the New York Yankees in the ninth round of the 2006 MLB draft. Melancon was an MLB All-Star in 2013, 2015, and 2016. He made his MLB debut in 2009. He led the National League in saves in 2015 and won the Trevor Hoffman Award that year. He is a three-time All-Star.
As a member of the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, Melancon appeared in 29 games (a single-season freshman record) and played in 5 post-season games. He pitched in 10 games for the United States national baseball team that summer. In his sophomore year, he worked as a closing pitcher, achieving 11 saves (a single-season record) in 34 appearances. He played a shortened season in 2006 due to a strained elbow ligament and had a college career total of 18 saves.
Starting the 2015 season as the Pirates' closer, Melancon was named an All-Star for the second time in his career, and his first as a closer. He recorded his 100th career save against the Kansas City Royals and surpassed Mike Williams to become the all-time Pirates single-season saves leader, recording his 47th of the season on September 19. He finished the season with a major league-leading 51 saves and won the 2015 National League Reliever of the Year Award after the season.
On February 18, 2021, Melancon signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with the San Diego Padres. He was named the Reliever of the Month in the National League for April 2021. He finished the 2021 season with an MLB-leading 39 saves in 45 opportunities.
On December 1, 2021, Melancon signed a two-year $14 million contract with a 2024 mutual option with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
